.
Sustaining the theme on this and recent pages of musings from the Emerald Isle, this early example Bell 206 EI-ASW which seems to have been a contemporary of Denis de Ferranti's EI-AWA.
EI-ASW was an early model (1968) 206 (serial no. 180). In fact there was only one
Bell 206 earlier than this in the British Isles, serial no. 66 (G-AVTE) which went to a firm 'BSR Ltd.'
Ferranti's 206 EI-AWA was a slightly later model (1972, serial no. 897) but was also a Bell and, curiously, carried the same (slightly gaudy in my view) copper-gold motif although with ASW (as seen below) this is offset with white 'patches'.
In 1972 ASW is then sold to the UK and registered as G-BADS and recorded as becoming the property of Viscount Downe (John Christian George Dawnay) of Wykeham Abbey. Viscount Downe was a contemporary of Sebastian de Ferranti in that he flew his own JetRanger and had his own (albeit moderately sized) electronics company.
I am keen to discover whether ASW was owned by Viscount Downe (originally an Irish title) while on the Irish register or whether she belonged to someone else first.
Bell 206A EI-ASW as seen at Plymouth Roborough on 17th October 1970. (Photo: Chris England)
Maintaining the
Irish spirit, some contemporary nostalgia below:
QEII arrives with the Duke at the 'Rock of Cashel' in the morning hours of 20th May 2011 courtesy of the Royal Household's S76C G-XXEB
It brings back the memories .. having lived for some time in the shadow of 'the Rock' at the Cashel Palace Hotel during the early 80's in the days when it was owned by Vincent O'Brien.
Sav